Falcons Soar by Chiefs 40-24

The new look offense put on a show Sunday as Matt Ryan led the high powered passing attack to 40 points to defeat Kansas City. It was a hotly contested matchup at the half, but the Falcons broke out in the second half to take full control of the game. Matt Ryan had a huge game, throwing three touchdowns and adding one more on the ground. He ended one yard shy of 300, completing 23 of 31 passes. Kansas City’s defense had no answer for the Ryan led offense, but they were also missing some very key players. Of course, they lost Brandon Carr to the Cowboys in free agency. Also, Brandon Flowers missed this game along with Kendrick Lewis and Anthony Toribio. Tamba Hali was also not available, serving out a suspension.

All of the missing pieces for the Chiefs did make things a lot easier for Atlanta, but that shouldn’t discredit this victory. They absolutely shredded this pass defense apart and basically scored at will. We knew this offense had a chance to score in bunches, and they did just that on Sunday. We also confirmed today that Julio Jones is truly an elite talent. He finished with over 100 yards and two first half scores and looks to be Ryan’s number one playmaking target. He could be in for a monster year. White still impressed with 6 catches and 87 yards and old reliable Tony Gonzalez caught a touchdown.

I think it is just a matter of time before Jacquizz Rodgers takes over as the feature back. He didn’t necessarily outplay Michael Turner, but he fits the offense much better. Atlanta is going to pass a lot more, and keeping Turner in on passing downs slows down the entire pace of the game. He finished with just 32 yards on the ground on 11 carries. Rodgers had 7 carries and Snelling added two of his own. The run first offense in Atlanta is clearly long gone.

The defense allowed KC to stick around for a little bit. It was just a 3 point game at the half before they held the Chiefs to just one touchdown in the second half. Ultimately they picked off Cassell twice, while taking him down three times. They kept Charles mostly in check, only allowing one big play for the homerun threat. Peyton Hillis went absolutely nowhere in his debut with the Cheifs. Top wideout, Dwayne Bowe also struggled, hauling in just three passes. This is not a dynamic offense, but they do have the capability of putting points on the board. Brent Grimes left the game, but it does not appear to be too serious. He will be a crucial piece when the Falcons face better quarterbacks. Overall, the defense played pretty solid. The last touchdown was at the end of the game with Atlanta well in control. Giving up 24 points is a little high, but this offense should not struggle to hit that total almost every week.

Next week, the Falcons come back home to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Manning is capable to shredding apart any defense, but it will be interesting to see how much he has left after missing all of last year. I will be watching him against Pittsburgh tonight, so I can get some judgement on just how good the future HOF still is. Good win today and Atlanta is tied atop the NFC South with Tamba Bay.